Government says EU citizens must apply for ‘settled status’ post-Brexit

FOLLOWING up on the UK government´s suggestions last week that there are plans to register all EU citizens living in the UK the Home Office have released comprehensive details describing how this system is likely to work.

All of the three million EU nationals currently residing in the UK will need to register their interest to remain there after the UK leaves the EU in March 2019. EU citizens will be registering for a “settled status” which will grant them the “indefinite leave to remain” status which is the same as those from non-EU nations who have lived in the UK for longer than 5 years.

It remains unclear whether EU citizens will be issued with an identity card or if their identity will simply remain on a Home Office database.

The many EU citizens who have already applied for permanent residency following the Brexit vote will need to do this again. However the plans describe a streamlined online application which makes registration much simpler.

The plans have been met with some criticism notably from EU negotiator Michel Barnier who believes that the two recent progressions in the UK´s Brexit position, Theresa May´s offer on citizen rights and the announcement of the registration process, do not go far enough to ensure “clarity and guarantees.”

A copy of the official UK Government document can be downloaded by clicking the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621848/60093_Cm9464_NSS_SDR_Web.pdf.